


Barren Rose

by MinamotoHierophant



Series: Mina's RP Auditions [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Camilla has mommy issues, Crafts are calming, Mentioned Nohrian Royals, Self-Reflection, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:35:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26551453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinamotoHierophant/pseuds/MinamotoHierophant
Summary: Camilla goes through her bedtime routine during a fierce storm.
Series: Mina's RP Auditions [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022797
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Barren Rose

The scent of chamomile wafted over the princess’s nose as she finished a stitch in the embroidery poised in her lap. The soft wool batiste of her nightgown’s sleeve brushed against her arm as she set down the needle. The white and lavender colored nightgown had been a birthday present from Corrin. It had been so sweet of them to have this made especially for her, and she couldn’t accept it without promising in her mind that she’d make something just as lovely for Corrin. She looked down at her stitching, smiling. The project was coming along well, and she hoped Corrin would love it. 

Ah, she couldn’t let her tea get cold after her darling maid had brought it for her. She always had a cup of tea before bed, but never the same flavor twice. Tonight though, she needed the calming scent of the chamomile. She took a dainty sip from the Wedgewood teacup. The warm tea tasted good and calmed her immensely. The storm overhead brought back so many bad memories, so many things she’d rather not dwell on. 

Oh, the storm. She should check on Elise to make sure she’s alright. She could never quite remember if Elise had gotten over her fear of thunderstorms or not. Sometimes they didn’t seem to bother her, yet sometimes they terrified her, like when she was a child. Oh yes, and she should remind Leo not to stay up too late. He really must get some sleep before their royal appearance tomorrow. But Xander was even worse than Leo. However, he seldom took kindly to her motherly nagging to take care of himself, so she did her best to help him surreptitiously. She’d leave sleeping tablets on his nightstand, set platters of food on his desk while he was in meetings, just little things. Although there were servants aplenty to do such things, she took special pride in caring for her siblings. They were her lifeline.

Anyone who harmed them was as good as dead. It wasn’t that she was incapable of showing mercy; she was a merciful lady at court, or so she’d been told. It was that those knaves didn’t deserve her mercy. She was a scrupulously clean woman, but she knew there was a reason the other ladies commented on the unusual notes of her perfume; it was the scent of blood. Blood clings to a person for a long time. Although that bothered many others with scruples they called morals, she didn’t mind. She loved her family more than anything, and so anything was worth it to keep them safe. 

Another flash of lightning split the sky followed by the ominous rumble of thunder just as it had that night; that unforgettable night when the rose of Nohr first grew thorns. In a rush, all the painful memories came flooding back into her mind from the dark corner where she had forced them: the tears pouring down her cheeks like the rain down her window, the harsh words of her mother ringing in her mind like the constant thunder, and the lighting glinting harshly off her bloodied axe. The face of her first kill floated in her mind as she shakily reached for another sip of tea to calm herself. Through sheer poise, she managed to set the teacup back on the side table without spilling it. 

She glanced down with blurred vision at her embroidery and watched as a single tear marred where she had been stitching Corrin’s face. Others followed and she desperately reached for her handkerchief before realizing she had set it on her bedside table. While she watched her tears pool on the neat, even stitches, she realized something she had always known; she needed her siblings as much as they needed her. They had struggled through so much together that they could no longer fully function on their own. Just as roses climb up trees, protect other flowers, and complement their beauty within a garden, so too did she grow up supporting Xander, protecting Elise, and was the complement to Leo’s wit. The four of them were a symbiotic garden oasis surrounded by a barren wasteland, and it was only their bonds that allowed them to survive.


End file.
